


i’m sorry

by Anzella



Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Angst, Domestic, F/F, Movie Night, Nightmares, PTSD, Post-War, liara is away on Business, lil blue babies, post-trilogy, wtf else do i put here
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-01
Updated: 2018-07-01
Packaged: 2019-05-31 21:38:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 531
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15128345
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anzella/pseuds/Anzella
Summary: The nightmare was always consistent each time she had it. Over time, the only thing that changed was the boy—replaced with an uncanny resemblance of her daughter.





	i’m sorry

**Author's Note:**

> unedited :p

As much as Shepard missed her wife’s presence, she treasured having alone time with their seven-year-old daughter, Nezzy, every once in a while. Watching a movie in the living room, curled up on the couch, and the little munchkin tangled in her lap, Liberty found herself wondering what she did to deserve such a moment of bliss. Sure, the movie was awful, but little Nezzy enjoyed it and that’s all that mattered. 

Despite her interest, however, she fell asleep before the end of the show, and Liberty contemplated on whether or not she should put her daughter to bed. Limbs sore with the weight of the sleeping child, she figured that they might as well just crash on the couch for the night. A couple taps on her omni-tool and the room was dark, save for the small amount of light coming through the window. With Nezzy laying on her stomach, she flipped a blanket over the both of them, and then settled into the couch. 

Listening to the content sound of her daughter’s breathing, it didn’t take long for her to fall asleep. It also didn’t take long for the nightmares to start either. She was back in the forest, surrounded by shadows and chasing the damn kid. Except this time, that _damn kid_ was her daughter. Running after her was useless, no matter how hard the commander tried, Nezzy kept outrunning her. A chill ran down her spine when she realized she wasn’t the only one. The shadows were also chasing her daughter, but with less effort than Shepard.

She tried screaming as they enclosed around Nezzy, but nothing more than a little croak left her throat. And then she was gone. No Nezzy, no shadows, just the forest. She gasped as a sudden chill shook her body and left her breathless. Frantic sobbing slowly bled into her dream, before the forest dissolved into complete darkness. 

Liberty blinked repeatedly until her eyes adjusted. She abruptly sat up, shivering from the dampness of her hair as it fell down her neck, soaking her shirt. Too cold to be sweat, confusion gnawed until she noticed her daughter standing barely inches away. A cup in hand, Nezzy sniffled and wiped her face with a fist. Liberty’s heart dropped at the sight of puffy eyes. 

“Y–y–you were c–cr–cry–”  


Liberty grabbed the cup–which was empty–from her hands and set it on the coffee table, before taking her daughter into her arms to calm her. Nezzy coughed and tried to slow her breathing, but she couldn’t stop crying.

“I…couldn’t…wake you…up…”  


As it suddenly clicked, she held her tighter against her chest and squeezed her eyes shut, tears threatening to spill. “Shh, shh,”

Nezzy pulled away to look at her dad. “Are you mad at me?”

Before she could start sobbing, Liberty hugged her again. “No, sweetie, of course not. It’s okay, _I’m_ okay…”

The hero was used to nightmares; they never got easier, but it wasn’t foreign to her. It was a weight she carried on her shoulders her whole life, but the only regret she had was seeing her daughter try to hold it too. 


End file.
